The screams draw you into the room. An elven couple and a human couple are chained over a pool of thick, congealing liquid the color of rust.

A horrifying bas-relief covers the eastern wall. The image depicts a horned, demonic visage frozen in a scream, its curling tongue thrust out into the room. The mouth is an open hole and its tongue is a chute. As you watch a tiny worm falls from the devil-maw and wriggles its way down the chute.

Dozens of tiny worms float drunkenly in the pool.

A pile of treasure is collected on a dais before the demon wall.

image: https://drive.google.com/file/...Cbr/view?usp=sharing

"Finally! Treasure!" cries Pyke.
"Oh, and people to rescue," he adds as an afterthought.

"Jack! Cut down those people. You others: see if you can kill off those worms. You've shown a particular dedication to that. I'll see to the trinkets!"

Pyke, with sword drawn, investigates the treasure on the dais.

Jack grits his teeth as he limps over to the human and elf couples.
"Not to worry. I'll have you out in a jiffy!"

If there's a lock on the chain, he attempts to pick it. Otherwise, he attempts to break a chain link using his serpent fang.

16:47, Today: Jack Quick the Beggar rolled 7 using 1d20+2.  Pick lock.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:41, Fri 21 July 2023.

"Yar," Ocrin nods to prospect of killing the worms. He goes over and tries to spear them with his pitchfork.

"Yar indeed!" Sharper cheers when he sees the pile of treasure on the dais.

"Wait!" he says, grabbing Pyke's wrist. "How do we know it's not a trap. Let's look for traps!" Sharper isn't exactly sure how to do that but he looks around all the same, taking the extra time to identify the prize bits to steal first.

Chayce, being short and not that strong, supervises the release of the humans. "I have a crowbar!" she says, offering it to Jack.

Pyke is about to unload a verbal torrent of indignation at Sharper but pauses to reconsider.

"Hmmm. Perhaps you have the right of it. With this plethora of expenda... err adventurous folk, we'd all benefit from their cautious inspection first. Very well."

He gestures at no one in particular. "You! And you! Have a look over there for traps and what have you. We'll keep an eye out from over here."

In reply to Tecumseh Lane Crew (msg # 5):

Jack's eye's widen at the crowbar offered by Chayce.

"That'll do the trick for sure! Thanks!"

With the new tool, he gets to work on the chains.

The shackle locks are DC 10 to pick. Jack, you can spend luck.

Trying to break open the locks will be the same, but you then break the locks.

The prisoners’ belongings are in the pile too but I’ll count those separately. Of particular note are a falcon in a large cage and a tied up goat.

In reply to The Judge (msg # 8):

2 points of luck:
22:35, Today: Jack Quick the Beggar rolled 7 using 2d4 ((3,4)).